Aenar
Aenar is the central continent of the known world. It is unknown whether there are other continents, though it is suspected there is due to the Elvari tales of humanity's origins, as well as the unknown orgins of the Sol'dai. None of the civilizations have attempted to venture beyond the waters surrounding Aenar yet, primarily concerned with the interal conflicts and politics of their homeland. Aenar derives its name from the ancient Eldari language, translated as "The Land of the Ancestors". This term was carried on by the Duvian Imperium, which spread the terms usage across the land as the Imperium expanded to eventually encompass the entire continent. A native of Aenar is known as an "Aenan". Geography Nations *Qaedas--a nation of humans in the western regions of Aenar *Rhoyshar--a nation in northern Aenar *The Free Lands--a confederacy of city-states in the west-central region of Aenar *Brenton--a kingdom in southwestern Aenar *Vahidia--an empire in south-eastern Aenar *Duvian Imperium--a magocratic empire in north-eastern Aenar *Sol'var--a growing nation in northwestern Aenar *Durahk-zhan--a dwarven kingdom in southern Aenar *Khar-zhan--a dwarven kingdom in central Aenar *Nerok-zhan--a dwarven city-state in northern Aenar Mountains *Drakari Mountains *Wiermach Mountains *Riyomarkk Mountains *Fyrepeak Mountains *Syrythian Mountains *Westmarch Mountains *Goldenpeaks *Soutari Mountains Forests *Mael Forest *Eldarwood *Devout Forest *Elvar'sar Woods *Brenwood *Qaedashi Forest *Sylvas Forest *Valewood Land Regions *Wyvernwrath Desert *Duvian Plains *Goldenfields *Southern Wildlands *Riverlands *Medari Grasslands *Bannerlands *Shattered Isles *Rhyor Fields *Valeplains Oceans and Seas *Northern Waters *Numenexi Bay *Cyntral Sea *Sea of Storms *Soutari Ocean *Brenton Bay *Aenan Sea *Crescent Bay Races There are four dominant races that inhabit Aenar: humans, elves, dwarves, and the Sol'dai. *'Humans': humans are the second youngest race to call Aenar home, however, they quickly rose to dominate the continent. This was largely due to the high rate of population growth humans gained during their early years, as well as their drive to expand thanks to their relatively short lifespans. *'Elves': the elves, or as they refer to themselves, Elvari, are among the oldest Aenan races. They hold direct heritage from the ancient Eldari--who once controlled all of Aenar. Unfortunately, the rapid rise of humanity has placed the elven people under constant subjugation or fear of attack. The majority of the elves live under the dominion of humans--living as second-class citizens in most cases. A few elven clans remain on the run, living as nomads and traveling around the continent to maintain their culture and discover Eldari ruins. A large number of these clans find refuge in the deep regions of the Eldarwood. *'Dwarves': the dwarves were once the slaves of the Eldari, who created them from the earth as miners and worksmiths. Eventually, the dwarves rebelled against their Eldari masters and fled deep into the mountains, where they were able to establish a great underground empire that spanned across Aenar. They didn't open up contact with the surface world until the Duvian Imperium reached out to establish an economic partnership between the two nations. The dwarves propsered until the discovery of the Fallen deep in the Underrealm of Aenar, which caused their rapid decline. By now, most of the former empire has been lost to the Fallen, with only three dwarven city-states remaining. *'Sol'dai': the Sol'dai are the newest race to inhabit Aenar, arriving on the shores of the western island of Reinan in 458 LE. They quickly conquered the island, renaming it Sol'var, and turned their gaze towards the rest of Aenar. The power of the Sol'dai lies in their connection with the elements--every Sol'dai is born with the ability to manipulate and control one of the four elements of creation: fire, earth, air, or water. The most powerful Sol'dai are able to fully adapt to their given element, transforming their bodies into physical representations of their elemental ability. The only downside to their ability is that it seems to result in incredibly short lifespans--with most Sol'dai living only into their 40s or 50s (compared to humans, who can live to their 70s or 80s). This has forced the Sol'dai to be incredibly aggressive with their expansionist actions. Religions Aenar has seen a wide range of religious beliefs rise and fall across its long history, greatly influenced by the dominant races. *'Eldari Spiritualism': the ancient Eldari were known for their deep spiritualism--which has been carried on by the nomadic elven clans. It does not appear that the Eldari worshipped a deity of any sort, but rather respected and in some cases worshipped the various spirits of the Aetherium. The fall of the Eldari and later elven peoples saw the decline of this religion from dominance, being overtaken by the various human faiths. *'Dwarven Gods': the dwarves, following their rebellion against the Eldari, developed an alternative religion to explain their existence and history. The dwarves believe in two deities--the Earth Mother and Sky Father. The Earth Mother is believed to be the creator of the dwarven people, while the Sky Father created the Eldari. The Sky Father used his chosen race to subjugate the dwarves. When the dwarves rebelled, the Earth Mother took her people under her protection, providing refuge in the deep tunnels of the Aenar Underrealm. The dwarves believe that the Fallen were created by the Sky Father as a way to destroy the dwarves. *'Duvian Pantheon': this was the primary religion of the Duvian Imperium, shaping their culture for most of the Imperium's history. A polytheistic religion, the Pantheon consisted of five deities, who the Duvians believed created the Aetherium and mortal realm. However, their chief enemy, a being of pure chaos and destruction known simply as the Void, was able to expel the Duvian gods from their seat of power in the Aetherium--known as the Godsrealm--casting them down to Aenar in the form of great dragons. The Duvians believed that the gods would choose five champions to retake the Godsrealm from the Void and establish a new age of peace and prosperity. The Pantheon declined in worship following the rise of the Fallen and creation of the Faith of the Creator *'Faith of the Creator': this is the dominant religion of Aenar, spreading rapidly through the military conquests of the Vahidian Empire and missionary efforts of followers of the Faith--known as luminarians. Unlike the other major Aenan religions, the Faith is a monotheistic religion, worshipping a supreme divine being known as the Creator. Luminarians--named after their places of worship, luminaries--believe that the Creator is the source of all existence, both the mortal plane and the Aetherium. The Creator turned his back on Aenar at first when the Eldari stopped worshipping him, instead moving towards their more spiritual beliefs. When humanity rose in the Eldari's place, the Creator hoped they would remain faithful. However, humanity became corrupted and manipulated by five powerful demons, who portrayed themselves as the true gods of Aenar and claimed that the Creator was actually the dark spirit known as the Void. This caused the Creator to shut out humanity. This separation was further entrenched when five Duvian praetors, including the Duvian Hierarch, attempted to breach the seat of the Creator, the Godsrealm in the Aetherium, in the name of the Duvian Pantheon. The Creator remained distant from humanity until a soldier in Vahidis begged for mercy at the hands of praetor oppression. The Creator revealed himself to the soldier, Damius, who became the Prophet of the Creator--spreading the faith. Damius then led a rebelling against the Imperium--only to be later deceived by the Hierarch into a peace agreement and executed in the imperial capital. Centuries later, the various cults of the Creator were unified under the central Faith of the Creator by Vahidian emperor Regul I, spreading rapidly with the expansion of the empire. History Mythic Era The Mythic Era refers to the time before humanity rose to prominence in Aenar--a time primarily dominated by the Eldari civilization and growth of the Dwarven Underempire. This period of time saw the Eldari Dominion spread across all of Aenar, establishing a massive empire and growth in culture and society. The Eldari unlocked many secrets of the arcane--to a level that has not been reached by any of the modern races. The Eldari also created the dwarven race to be used as slave-workers, though eventually the dwarves rebelled against their masters and retreated to the mountains and deep tunnels underneath Aenar's surface. Category:Location